Centrifugal machine



I Feb. 26, 1929.'

J. J. MUNSON CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed June 23, 1926 3 $heets-Sheet IINVENTOR Feb. 26, 1929.

J. J. MUNSON CENTRIFUGAL mourns Filed June 23, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 //.A TTORNEYS Feb. 26, 1929.

J. J. MUNSON CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed June 23, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Vl/ III/I avwentoz Z6 M {km W mu /a;

Patented Feb. 26, 1929.

unirED STATES JOSEPH JONES MU'NsoN, or BATON ROUGE, IiOUISIANA.

' cENTaIFUGAL MACHINE.

f Ap'p1icationfiled June 23, 1925... Serial No. 118,131.,

7 My invention relates to centrifugal extractors of the continuous type and has for its object the sin'iplification' of the mech anism and the attainment of more uniform and regular separation of the solids and liquids. Such machines are used for instance in the separation ofmolasses from the sugar in massecuite. The subject matter of my present invention includes thesubject matter of an earlier abandoned application which was filed by me under date of January 3,1923, and Serial No.

In carrylng out my lnventionl provlde two or moreperforated sievesor baskets of cylindrical form which I mount in asymmetrical manner around the center of a rotating carrier, the cylinders orbaskets being free to rotate planetarily on their vertical axes while revolving around the common centen. -lVlieIi. running empty these cylinders do not rotate relatively to their carrier, but upon the introduction of the material to be treated they become loaded eccentrically by such material which thereupon causes them to rotate, the veloccenter oft-he machine;

Figure 3 is an enlarged axial sectionjof'.

the brake; g

Figure 1 15 an axial section of the d1viding element.,

The spindle 1, Figure 2, 1S supported 111.

a vertical position. and is free to revolve at high speed. Upon the sp ndle 1 is earned the hub 2, the distributor bowl 3,. the brake head 4. The distributor bowl 3 is secured to the spindle 1 by means of the set screw 1 5. The brake headis fastened to the spindle 1 by means of set screw 6. The hub 2.

which is held to the spindle 1 by means of nut 7 carries the-revolving casing 8. This revolving casingis held to hub .2 by means of bolts 9. The revolving casing 8 is made up of bottom plate 10, top plate 11, vertical cylinder 12, top hoop 13, bottom hoop'l l, and guide baffle 15, all securely fastened to- PATENT OFFIC gether by means of rivets and bolts, and by welding at 16. ,Upon the revolving casing V are carried three perforated drying baskets 17 and three discharge baffles 18., The three drying baskets are supported radially by means of the roller bearings 19. These roller bearings are journalle d on bolts 20 mounted .at opposite ends in bottom plate 10 and arcuate basket supports 21. Each of said perforated drying baskets 17 is provided with a circular rail -22 of angular crosssect-1on which has] rolling contact with and is supported by theroller bearings 19, I

An inwardtilting of the perforated drying baskets is prevented by means of brakeshoes28 which are adjustable radially, by means of bolts 24which abut at their inner ends on spindle 1. 'Eachperforated dryi'ng basket is provided with a perforated wall 25'and a dividing element 26. Said dividing element 26 comprises atop shroud .27, bottom shroud 28 and: slats 29 welded to these shroud s. Y The. dividing element 26 is designed to slip inside of the perforated basketcasingand a fine'mesh screen 30 is interposed between the outside edges of the slats '29 of the dividinglelement and the inner side, of perforated wall 25. Said screen extends completely around and within the perforated wall 25, and: entirely covers the same. v

" As shown in Figuresl; and 2, the baffles 18 project a short distance above the top plate 11 so that as the cylinder 12 revolves, a strong current of air is deflected downwardly alongjthe under surfaces of said 'baflles. By an inspection of Figure 1, it 'will be seen that the sugar which becomes dislodged from the compartments in the drying baskets at points K and J will be deflected downwardly thru' the-openings in the bottom plate-lOof the revolving casingj The distributor bowl "3 has depending legs or spouts 31 extending; into the basket 17, one for each basket and at the inner face of the lower extremity each spout has an opening 32 facinginwardly toward the side of the basket farthest removed from its outmost swing. The distributor bowl is made I With an annular compartment 33 around its upper 1 circumference and ,leading down- Wardly therefrom is a perforated pipe34,

loaded section of Figure '2, the bottom end of which pipe is supported on the bottom plate 10 of the re volving easing. There are three or" these pipes, one for each drying basket.

From the above it is clear that the dis. tributor bowl 3, the brake head 4, the perforated drying baskets and the discharge batfies 18, the hub2 and the revolving casing 8 all revolve at the same speed about the axis of the vertical spindle 1.

The Whole revolving element is surrounded by a stationary casing 35, which may be supported in any convenient manner, and comprises a top annular plate 36, a vertical cylindrical plate 87, a bottom annular plate 39, and a conical hopper it), to the upper edge of which the annular plate 39 is connected by means of a peripheral strap angle 38. A molasses discharge pipe ll leads from the annular chamber formed between the vertical cylindrical plate 87 and the upper cylindrical portion of hopper 40.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

The machine is first made to revolve by applying power to the spindle 1. Massecuite or other material is then introduced into the rapidly revolving distributor bowl 3 from any convenient storage tank, through valve 41 from where it passes to elbow s2 and then into distributor bowl 3, thru nip-- ple 43. As the distributor bowl is rapidly revolving, the massecuite is thrownout against the inside, of the outer wall, and gradually builds up a layer against this wall as shown by the shading, Figure 2. The surface of this layer of inassecu-ite toward the axis of spindle 1, is a paraboloid,

this surface will be almost vertical, under the high velocity.

5,.2 1. 'L 1 ,i, 1 4. .Z-LltGI rhe niassecuire nas reached a point as at 32, at the bottom ot the spouts or the distributor bowl, it begins to spill out of each one oi the three spouts into the three perforated drying'baskets, and travels in a direction shown by the dotted line, Figure 1. Thus the ma 'secuite is loaded. into .the perforated drying: basket near the top and bl nd'the slats 29 which form sections in this basket. The first loaned section shown by the shading; n Figure 1 at ii. The remaining two drying baskets are l ed in exactly the same manner. The d, baskets are thus hrown out ot equilibrunn, due to the centritugal force acting on the massecuite at all, and they tend to rotate on the roller bearings 19, in a direction shown by the arrow. By properly adjusting the brake 21, the drying basket is prevented from turning until the section zit/G is completely filled with massecuite, after which the loaded section will revolve around to some sucl'rpoint as at H. It the drying basket was absolut y ree to turn, "the loaded section would reor any convenient arr meat-o4.-

velve from G to a point maxiinunrdistance from the center of the spindle 1, as at X, however, the drying under the brake 21, the loaded section G moves to some such point as H until the turning moments on the crying baskets are suificiently reduced to stop the same; As the massecuite continues to be supplied from the spouts of the distributor bowl to the drying baskets, a second section is loaded (partly) at G, but as the basket is practically in equilibrium, the second section is only part ly tilled, which causes the section loaded to move to a new position I. This light loading of the sections continues until the first heavy loaded one reaches the point X, when furtherrevolving of the basket caused by leading more inassecuite at G This induces a turning moment on the dry ing basket- .in the opposite direction from that which caused by the massecuite from G to X, and this in turn causesheavier loading 2it;"G'in order to keep the basket revolving. As the loading, is continued at G, the first loaded section 'moves on around to J and then to K.

basket being l causes the first heavy loaded section to travel 7 back toward the center or thespindle l."

The first loaded s ction has thus completed its course,

and from the time that it was first loaded at G, the freeing of thegrains of sugar from the molasses, takes place,the molasses passing thru the perforated Wall 25 of the drying basket, while the grains of sugar are I tendency ror the drying; basketto b rown outward from thespindle 1, has been great ly increased due to the inassecuite wl e been added, and die to the natural ot'the training which supportsthese ba .t of m us' able springs under t?" oi .zollers l9 they are allowed to move a verv fraction or an inch away "from the brake 23 which leaves the baskets tree to turn. Thus when the baskets are completely loaded with inassecuite, there are no brakes to retard their t-io'tation about their It isthus clear that after the baskets have been 'completely loaded, they are always out et balshoe, and tend to rotate about'their axes as messecuite is suppliedat G, for whilethe the same distance from the center of the spindle 1, as the ma'ssecuitexis loaded on the opposite side, the massecuite is heavier than the dry su 'ar b 1 an amount etualto the weight of the molasses which is thrown off.

That is to say, that the weight off the massecuite from G to X will always be heavier than thatfrom X, to FJ and K, which will keep the drying baskets in slow rotation which will vary in an exact proporeionto the rate at which inassecuite is introduced into the baskets, and this rate oil rotation of the baskets will control the rate of discharge of the dry sugar, thus all three of the drying baskets will always be tilled to the same extent with sugar. and n'iassecuite which will prevent the machine from becoming unbalanced about the spin die 1. The discharging of the sugar follows: fl

The lirstloaded section which has reached J is partly unloaded by the sugar being" thrown out of same by the action of centrifugal force, and by the time K is reached, the unloading has been completec. The dry sugar on leaving onc of the sections of a drying basket at J and K passesin the direction of the dotted arrow,Fig. 1, into the path of a strong current of air which is directed downwardly by the baffle 18. The dry sugar is thus swept downward ly and out thru openings in the bottom plate of the revolving casing, from where it is thrown against the guide battle 15, and then to the stationary conical hopper "l0. andv finally to a storage bin or bags.

, lVhere it is necessary to wash thesugar, water is introduced into the distributor bowl 3 from any convenient storage tank,

thru the valve 4 l'from where it 'passesto the elbow l5 and then downward to the compartment 33 of; the distributor bowl. From this cimpartment, the water is led downward thru the perforated pipes where is is sprayed out thru the holes shown in these pipes and then follows the dotted arrow and is thus pro ected against the wall of inassecuite, passing thru the same and out with molasses thus diluted.

1 1- the dry suga has been dis at J and K, the line mesh screen is cleaned by con v sections pass t on; K to l, as in traversing this distance, the sections are complotely empty, and the centrifugal force acts in a direction'opposite to that inwhich the molasses travelled in passing thru the screen.

The fine mesh screen may also be washed at" this point if desired. Thus the inas'se'cuit'e is alwaysloaded 1n thefdrying baskets upon a clean screen, which insures the tree pascent-rltugal force.

same of the molasses which, is thrown out by 'i uga'l force the emptied i The molasses and water (when thefwater is used) is thrown out thru the fine mesh screen and the perforated wall 25 of the dryingbasket, from where it is thrown out-' ward against the vertical cylindrical wall 12 of the revolving case 8. It then passes thru the small holes 46 near thebottoinhoop of the; revolving casing. The molasses is then collected in the annular space of the stationary casing from where it is conducted to any convenient storage tanks thru pipe 41.

vAccording to the preferred embodiment of my invention shown on the drawings, it will be seen from Fig. 1 that the main drivin spindle l is-suspended from above (the suspension head .for said spindle not being shown). It will appear from the following discussion that the construction and relative arrangement of the several parts described iace of which extends toward the center of spindle as the loadinglcontinues. The sugar being in a fluid condition in the distributor bowl '3, the surface of the paraboloid must" be uniform'about the axis'ofrotation of said distributor bowh That is to say that the inside wall of the sugar in'the' bowl Will form a true circle on a plane passed perpendicular to the axis on which it rotates; As the loading operation continues, the inside wall of'sugar eventually reaches a-surtface which is tangent to the edge of nozzle 32 where the spilling over takes place. \Vhen the loading is carried still further, theinside surface of the sugar extends further inward so that the sugar will then" be spilled over in a layer with athickness which increases as the rate of flow ot'sugar to the distributor bowl increases. The thickness of this layer will come to equilibrium under a uniform rate of flow to the bowl.

hen all three of the baskets are perfectlybalanced, the center of rotation of the whole lllitClllllOWlll be about the axis of the spindle, that, a plane passed thru the end of the nozzle where the sugar spills over and perpendicular to the axis of spiniille l 'wlll' cut the inside wall of sugar in the distributor bowlin a perfect circle. 71f, now,

one of the baskets should happen to I'GCGl'VQ more sugar than the other two, the result would be to move the axis of rotation of the entire mass toward the heavily loaded basket. The spindle would therefore gyrate aboutthe new axis while the paraboloid represented by theinner wall of sugar .in the bowl '3,would also'form about the new or said drying baskets rcspcctively lmoseoa displaced. axis since the sugar always in a fluid state in said boWl. The result of this displacement in the of revolution will be to move the nozzle 32 of the heavily loaded basket inwaii'dly'and away from the inner Wall from which the su spills so that the flow of sugar into said heavily loaded basket from its nozzle 32 ceases Whereas the flow of sugar into the other baskets increases in such a Way to uiclrly restore tl e machine to a rotation about it normal axis.

I claim 1. In a continuoirely acting); machine, the combinaion oi a carrier 1 toting about a variable axis, a plurality o: cylindrical drying askets mounted thereon so as to be free to rotat: planetarily, a disitor bowl surinounting said rotating; carrier, spouts depending there'l'i m being provided with dischar jacent to said axis. 7

2. in a continuous acting centrifugal inachine the combination of 2 carrier r:. tating about a variable axis a plurality of cylindrical drying baskets mounted thereon so as to be lre to rotate planetarily a distributor bowl sin-mounting said rotating carrier and spouts depending therefrom into said drying baskets respectively, said spouts be ing provided with discharge nozzles displaced inwardly with respect to the main bodies of said spouts.

3. In a centrifugal machine the coinbi tion With a ,i

itary carrier of a drying basket journaled upon axis eccent is to rotary axis of said carrier, a loading bowl the mounted on rid carrier and discha i into said drying baske on. said carrier and exten said drying); basket to a oint move the top of said drying basket, said baflie be" adapted to deliver a downwardly deflected current of air thru said basket.

. a continuously acting; cent i. machine the combination of a rotating carrier a plurality of cylindrical drying batlrets mounted thereon so as to be free to rotate planetarily and means for introducing naterial to the interior of the bushels at a point removed from their outermost swing Wliereoy the eccentric ioadi io' of the material will cause the baskets discharge bail'lcs inouitcd 01 th rrier Within the baskets to intercept th oi: the mater al as it is freed from. t dcr wall by centrifugal force.

islret. in a continuous acting centrifugal ina- (illil'ltm the combination of a rotating carrier,

a plurality of planetarily revolving perforated drying baskets mounted on the carl vg free to rotate ing into said bask ts, and dis- 's at the botton of said sgouts ;he center oi the machine. nuousiy acting centrii'ugul of planetarily revolt ig perbaslrets mounted on the 1 ar rzntc x howl havii I H .A reception of Water with perforated pipes rainy of porter t i d .c nlauetarily thereon loedn in an tree to rot rig spouts e" 4 reur Jablo k sch bas-. li'cl having; pockets tion with a rotary carrier, of a drying has l'- rotatable thereon about an axis eccentric to e rotary axis of said carrier means for ii *ducing material to theinterior of said d t 1g basLet, said drying basket being a plied to dir, :harg-e the dried product ata g leterinined "ioiiu in its'rotation with resi s; to the rotary axis of said carrier and a tlle mounted on said czrrier and proj c thru said drying basketto intercegt thedried material as it 's 'freed from said basl'et, said bafile beingextended upwardly above the top of said dryingbasliet to deflect a current of air downwardly thru said a loading bowl having 7 on of rotating can ailing therefrom to the interior of the bas- In a coutinuous centrifugal niuchine, combniatio 1 or arotc o Clill s ol 1,- 

